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Would relocating the capital solve Jakarta's problems?
Now that President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo is intent on continuing his capital relocation project, questions have emerged as to whether the move would actually help Jakarta solve its complex problems.
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Blue skies are seen above the usually polluted Jakarta on July 2 after several days of residents restricting themselves from leaving their homes for fear of contracting the Delta variant of COVID-19, and a day before the implementation of emergency restrictions on community activities from July 3 to 20. (AFP/BAY ISMOYO)
T
he plan to relocate the nation’s capital away from Jakarta was recently revisited after a year on the back-burner, where it was placed when it became obvious that the government had to focus its financial resources on mitigating the COVID-19 crisis.
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo announced last week a plan to resume the capital’s relocation to East Kalimantan, catching observers and the public off-guard as he sought to shore political support for the project.
When he first announced the idea in 2019, Jokowi cited Jakarta’s perennial problems of overpopulation, traffic gridlock and poor air quality among the reasons to move the capital. As a former governor of Jakarta, he said he saw these issues persist across different administrations.
But now that the President was intent on continuing his would-be legacy, questions have emerged as to whether moving the nation’s administrative capital would actually help Jakarta solve its complex problems.
The short answer, according to analysts: It’s complicated.
More than moving
With a population of nearly 11 million people, Jakarta is the most densely populated region in all of Indonesia. Each year, the headcount in the city and its surrounding areas grows by up to 250,000 people, and research suggests that Jakarta could become the most populous city in the world by 2030, with over 38 million residents.
